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- Greenspan - The Case For The Defence In-Depth Review
-
-
- My fascination with the Judicial System Structure of today's
- society was furthered and strengthened after reading and analyzing the
- works of Edward Greenspan.
-
- This superbly written biography recollecting past cases and
- important events in Greenspan's life allowed myself, the reader, to
- learn more about Jurisprudence and the Criminal Code. The entire
- casebook revolves around several main themes including the balance of
- Positive & Natural influences in the courtroom, whether a lawyer's
- consience intervenes with his duty as a counsellor, and the alarming
- rate of perjury occuring in front of the juries. To be more concise
- and clear to the point, Greenspan's book is a diary of controversial
- and beneficial issues which have hovered around our criminal courts
- and will continue to plague and pester them for years to come. By
- observing and understanding certain issues presented in his book,
- I was able to comprehend what type of person Greenspan is, what he
- believes in, what he represents and what he would do for his
- profession.
-
- The wheels of Jurisprudence are always turning, and I came to
- realise how Greenspan worked and bargained for his status in the
- country to be solidified. This book also flourished with innovative
- situations pertaining to the most diversified of criminal charges, to
- the most uncanny regions of law ever dealt. It was this thorough look
- at Greenspan's life which impressed this reviewer the most.
-
- It was quite clear that after the fourth page, I came upon the
- conclusion that this casebook would create a most influential reaction
- to anyone who had displayed any interest towards our Law system in
- general. Part One of the novel, No Little Clients, presents the reader
- with the author's proposed thesis. His ambition is to defend innocent
- people accused of crimes. Whether they are innocent or guilty without
- being proven guilty is irrelevant to Mr. Greenspan. A lawyer's
- consience must not be his deciding factor when advising or counselling
- a client. This viewpoint is elaborated in Part Two (Not Above The
- Fray) and explained frivolously by Greenspan himself. Throughout the
- entire novel, the theme bends and curves itself around different and
- unavoidable situations, but retains its original meaning that no one
- is guilty until proven so. Greenspan refers to this phrase countless
- times and explains to the reader that he will not allow his moral
- beliefs to conlfict with the path of justice (delicately and
- persuasively explained by both Greenspand and the co-author, George
- Jonas in Parts Four, Five and Six of the novel).
-
- Chapter 13, Playing God, emphatically displays Greenspan's
- concern with the treatment of his clients and the decision to push the
- client until he can make a decision that is in favour with the lawyer
- himself. The significance of this chapter is that the reader detects
- the amount of responsibility and endurance is required in order to
- become a successful pawn of the judicial system. At this point,
- Greenspan's thesis huddles itself around the principle of being a
- "Pawn of the System" and only serving the system without prejudice and
- socialistic conflicts.
-
- The authors begin their novel with several different themes which
- branch out and eventually combine. Walking The High Wire is an
- excellent chapter which focuses on the effects of intended falsehoods
- employed by the prosecution. When Greenspan takes on a case where the
- courtroom is changed into a stage for the benefit of a woman who
- allegedly is raped by his client, it is later realised that through
- careful investigation and newly discovered evidence, can the truth be
- used to assist the defendant in being acquitted. In the chapter And
- Nothing But The Truth, the author presents a situation where even
- those who enforce the law may lie to obtain a conviction of an
- innocent person. When two police officers re-create a false scene for
- the jury, the reader begins to understand why the author ponders upon
- different moral questions and creates circumstantial, yet fruitful
- answers.
-
- Like a detective fiction novel, Greenspan proves without a doubt
- that there is more than meets the eye in accepting and defending a
- client. As witnessed in the chapter Hi Mom, Guess Who's In Jail, the
- reader learns about how the media and police almost influence a jury
- into convicting an innocent man of a murder he did not commit.
- Although the outcome of some cases is the not always agreeable with
- the reader, it is usually found to be in the best interest of our
- Justice system. A Large Blue Suitcase is a particularily intriguing
- chapter that focuses on how police constables try to reinforce a lie
- in order to obtain the truth. As quoted by Greenspan himself: "The
- Crown does not win or lose as long as justice truimphs".
-
- His constant disagreement with honorable Judges of the court is
- commonplace in the book and is viewed not as a serious outlook towards
- certain lordships, but merely as a constant pain for Greenspan. Always
- equipped with the outgoing, full of energy, enthusiastic type persona,
- an unfamiliar judge may become easy prey for this bustling attorney.
-
- While reading the Justice In High Heels section of the book, I
- came across various examples of how society today is being powered by
- the overwhelming rise of feminist demands. Although Greenspan himself
- does not prefer to enagage in a verbal or emotional war with many of
- these women, he does not deny wishing he could just establish a
- section of the criminal code for them. In the chapter called Out Of
- The Mouth Of Babes, Greenspan is found defending an alleged rapist who
- is accused based on the analogy of one person. Even though this
- alleged rapist is a serving police member, respected member of his
- community and has a clean record up to this point, he is still nearly
- accused and sentenced severly. The author solidifies the book's
- reliability and rationality by focusing on issues such as these and
- elaborating on them. The chapter entitled Going To Bat For The Pitcher
- was another reliable instance where the reputation, admiration and
- future of a Baseball Player is in jeopardy due to a possible drug
- possession charge laid against him. Greenspan is not only honoured in
- defending such a popular client, but lets the reader learn about the
- difference between a clean record and a blemished one.
-
- Murder Or Nothing is perhaps the most relished of chapters in the
- entire novel due to its shocking approach towards the fine line of
- self defence and murder. The author takes the time to both reitarate
- and brief the reader of the circumstances involved, and the possible
- conclusive outcomes. I found myself amused at decisions which seemed
- beyond the reach of power for a criminal lawyer, but the educational
- value of the book was impeccable. Some Time To Kill was a regular
- 'Whodunit' mystery which can be found as rather frivolous in
- conclusion while curious in decision. Greenspan is faced with an
- overwhelming amount of evidence against him that could lead his client
- to over 25 years in prison, but using his skillful tactics and
- knowledge of jurisprudence, he wins one of many cases in his long
- career.
-
- Twelve Good Men And True is the only chapter which allowed the
- reader to sit back and comprehend the situation involving many
- different solutions to avoid any racial, social or political prejudice
- of any kind from occuring in our courts today. The Case For The
- Defence takes a plunge behind the closed doors and allows the author
- to voice his opinion all the while considering the other side of the
- coin.
-
- Since becoming a lawyer nearly three decades ago, Edward
- Greenspan has written a juriprudential masterpiece which contains not
- only a recollection of important case facts and information, but even
- family based and social events which have changed his life. The reader
- is allowed to walk through with him as he climbs the ladder of
- success, while learning about his faults and how he accepts them.
- Throughout the book, Greenspan uses many sources and references which
- allow him to successfully solidify and back up any aspect of law he
- discusses. Even letters and memos sent by respected citizens of
- society justify how valuable he is to Canada and to those who are in
- need of a defence lawyer.
-
- The effort involved in establishing such a novel must have been
- quite massive on the part of Greenspan. Apart from digging into the
- vault of memories and remembering the most pleasurable and painful
- events, he was extremely careful in avoiding the use of names or
- places which are best kept 'off the record'. Those who contributed
- were rewarded with his superlative creation. I would recommend this
- casebook full of Edward L. Greenspan's memories and tales to anyone
- who seriously wished to pursue Law as an occupation or even a hobby.
- Apart from the controversial and brilliant decisions incorporated by
- Canada's fiercest Criminal Lawyer, there is a natural blend of
- political concern and social structure which comes with the territory.
-
- Greenspan, The Case For The Defence, is the finest
- biography/casebook I have ever studied thanks to the ever-lasting
- presence of educational values combined with fascinating
- jurisprudential events and occurences. It can be said that Justice and
- Liberty for all can only be achieved through a damn good lawyer!
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